David Smith, Exchange Student 2013

What truly set me on my path of enlightenment began at registration. I saw a self-identification box to check “Coloured” when I completed my registration form for my I.D. and I was dumbfounded. I studied abroad [at WBS] from Jan-March 2013 via Kelley School of Business, Indiana University as part of the Partnership in International Management (PIM) network.

While there I took the following classes: International Business, Storytelling in Business, Investment Analytics and Leading Creativity & Innovation. Everything about my educational experience was eerily similar to what I’ve dealt with at other institutions of higher learning. 

As a Black American, it was incredibly intriguing to discover I was thought “coloured” until I opened my mouth and my accent gave me away as foreigner.

As I learned more about South African history, I started looking at everything from a different perspective. I hadn’t come of age when apartheid ended but I quickly found many parallels to the Civil Rights struggle blacks endured here in the United States. My time at WBS allowed me to interact with many different people who call South Africa their home. I gained a greater global perspective and learned how to be a better leader. My only regret is that I didn’t have the opportunity to stay longer.